Gut instinct
by monkeyon
Summary: Castle gets sick but recovers to get involved in the next case but sadly ends up back in the hospital.


6

Castle fan fiction Title – Gut instinct by Monkeyon

Our ruggedly handsome writer gets sick but then in recovery he ends up back in hospital through no fault of his own.

"Are you alright?" Becket asked.

"Mm fine, perhaps a bit of food poisoning. Dunno, just got belly ache."

"Do you want to go home? It's a horrible day out there. Maybe you should go home to your bed."

"I'll be fine."

They were looking at the murder board and eating the doughnuts that Espo had got. "It's freezing out there." He proclaimed. "They reckon it's going to be 3 foot of snow by evening."

"Castle you alright? You are looking a bit green."

"Just not hungry."

They spend half hour more looking at the board and as they stare at the board they here a crashing noise. As the trio turn they see Castle leaning over Beckets desk holding his stomach pain shooting across his brow.

"Shit Castle what's wrong?" Kevin asks as all three try to get to him. Becket gets there first. As she tries to steady him he falls back into her arms. She lays him on the floor.

"Feel sick." Castle whispers as he pushes Becket away and turns his head to vomit on the floor. Becket and the others aren't squeamish but they all look on worried.

"Castle!"

"Be fine in a minute just need to work it out of my system. Help me get up." Castle smiles as he finds his feet. "See right as rain."

"I think you should get yourself checked out." Becket proclaimed.

"Better out than in."

"Yeah we didn't really need to be part of that show man." Espo says pointing at the pool of vomit. After an hour or so they had worked out a few kinks out of the murder case. Castle had cleaned up his own mess and was now sitting sipping a coffee. By the end of the shift the snow that was promised had fallen. It was dark, dull and bitterly cold. Lanie came into the office to see Espo, saying their friends had cancelled their date due to bad weather.

"Kate is Castle alright?"

"Yeah he's fine now, a touch of tummy bug. Why?"

"It's below freezing out there and Ricks fanning himself with a napkin."

They both walk over to Castle who is now wearing a sheen of sweet. "It's a bit hot."

"Castle your dripping wet."

"Need to get you home. Lanie can you gather my things?"

"Sure sweetie."

Castle started to fidget and removes his coat and the sweat is falling from his shirt. "Let's get you up". Kate tried to be quick but she was too late and Castle was on the floor no sooner as he had got up.

"Lanie please, something's wrong."

"What's wrong…..Shit."

"Just collapsed and then…."

"Castle, Castle can you hear me sweetie?"

Lanie put her hand to his head and feels his temperature. "He's burning up…..Kate what was his symptoms?"

"Stomach ache, cramp."

Lanie ran her hands down his shirt opening the buttons. She opens the shirt and rubs her hand over his stomach and soon Castle face is flinching in pain as she touches swelling on one side. Lanie looks up at her friend "Shit, shit, shit."

"Lanie what's wrong?"

"I think it's his appendix."

"I've called the ambulance but they say there's a delay due to the bad weather." Espo claims.

"How long?"

"Dunno they said maybe an hour."

"No time."

"What?"

"He has a high temperature and you said he'd been sick. The infection it's in him, in his blood stream. I have to get it out of him before it bursts, Kate do you understand if it stays in him he will die of septicaemia."

Becket's a level headed women but she can't get a hang on the panic brewing from inside of her torso as she thinks she might be sick. She sits and starts to shake.

"Katie, Becket come back to me. I need your help. Espo I need a knife and something to sterilise it, heat or alcohol something." Lanie looks stricken. "No you don't Castle, don't you dare die on me."

With this and seeing Lanie bend down checking for breath against her cheek Becket defences falter. Lanie pinches Castles nose together and opens his mouth and breathes for him. She continues for a few minutes till Espo is back with a large knife and a bottle of rum.

"Oh god." Espo gasped

"He's not breathing."

"What can we do?"

"She can't do anything, she's in shock"

"He can't die." Becket walks and sits beside Castle as Lanie continues CPR. "Don't let him die."

Lanie directs Becket to Castles head. "Kate you need to breathe for him, I can't do the operation and CPR."

"I! "

"You have to Kate, he's not strong enough to breathe for himself but I have to get to his appendix before…"

"I have to don't I?"

"Yes dear, you have no choice but to push your emotion aside, you two are good at that." Lanie joked trying to lighten the mood. Kate smiled and then took over. She wasn't sure if she was doing it right but a part of her was just hoping the will for him to be alive would pass to him through her. Lanie drenched the knife in the rum and then wiped some with a tissue over Castles stomach before she took a deep breath and pierced the skin with the knife. Kate thought she was going to pass out as she saw Lanie widen an incision in Ricks gut. Soon all she could see from her view breathing for him was Lanies arm inside of Castle.

"Get a bin or something Espo quick."

Espo got a bin and Lanie literary threw the offending organ into it, it made such a large thud and then a squish. Espo smacked his hand against his mouth in disgust.

"Keep breathing for him Kate and Espo I need a towel something to stem the bleeding."

When Espo returned he came with more bodies in green as the medics came in. After 10 minutes Castle was on a trolley with masks, tubing and bandages covering him. They dashed out to the ambulance. "Katie go with him, we'll meet you there." Becket got in the back with him.

"Espo."

"You were amazing."

"Espo my answer is yes. "

"Yes you were amazing."

"You're quite dense for a copper aren't you?"

"Sorry?"

"Yes I will marry you."

In all of the drama he had forgotten that he had asked her to marry him that morning with coffee and croissant in bed.

….

Castle moved and winced with the pain as the nurse sat him up for his visitors. Today was the first day he felt semi human. It had been a week long recovery and had been told by several people it was touch and go for 24 hours. There was a knock at the door and Kevin, Espo and Lanie walked in.

"Hey."

"Hey you three. Wow look at you two. I hear congratulations are in order. Kev you and Jenny have some couple company now."

"We just need to marry you of now Castle." Kev joked.

"You forget that Castles been there done that and got the alimony." Cried Martha as she walked to her son's bed.

"Hello mum."

"How you feeling dear?"

"Fine, a little sore but I'm o.k. Thanks to Lanie here."

"Yes I have to thank you with all my heart, you saved my boy and that I am truly grateful."

"He's a fighter; we knew he'd be o.k."

"Mmm stubborn." Came a voice

"Hey Becket."

"How you doing Castle?"

"Want my own bed, I might even have cravings for mothers cooking."

"Jesus the food here it's that bad, last time I cooked well you all nearly ended up in hospital."

"I'll be alright then won't I?" Castle yawns and the slight edge of pain he had when he was sat up seems to be spread across his face.

"Castle I think you need to rest, we just wanted to show our faces." Says Lanie.

"Stay a little longer, tell me about the case, tell me anything. I will even hear one of mum's tales from old, I'm so bored."

"I have to go and be somewhere son, so tales of old" she thumps his arm "will have to wait for another day." She kisses him on the forehead and waltzes out the room. The rest of them sit around him and tell him all about the case they're working on.

They are escorted out the room when a nurse comes to check on him and return to discussing the case after their brief break.

"So any ludicrous ideas Castle?" Becket asks.

….

Castle was determined to be a good patient but failed miserably. Boredom was about to get the better of him. In the end they moved much of the current murder board into his loft. After a few days they were nowhere nearer to solving the case.

It was a late end to the night and Becket was the only one remaining at the loft. Offering to go out and get a take away Becket leaves. After getting back from the bathroom Castle heard Becket enter the loft with the food. He walks to the kitchen and gently bends down to get plates from the cupboards, as he shifts himself up to stand he feels a cold edge against his neck.

"Stand slowly and quietly Mr Castle."

Castle did as he was told, unless Becket had a humour transplant in the last 20 minutes he was indeed in trouble. Soon Rick can feel the blade of the knife graze his skin.

"What do you want?" No point in being wise with words, creativity was lost in a moment like this.

"I want this to stop." he waggles the knife at murder board displayed on his t.v screen. Castle thought for a second that this was his chance to move; he pushed at his opponent and tried to run away. He felt pain at his scalp as he wasn't quick enough and the man had grabbed his hair and dragged him the other side of the room. He dragged Castle to a standing position. He then put the knife to his neck again as he jumped when the front door opened revealing Beckett.

"Drop the bags, and don't do anything hasty." Kate does as she is asked. She looks over to Castle with a sly wink. Castle looks down, she looks to his viewpoint and realises there is blood seeping through his shirt.

"Oh my god." Becket moans looking at the captor. "If he dies I will find you and kill you."

"I'm o.k. I think I pulled on the wound." Castle replies.

"I hate to interrupt the gossiping but I'm here for a reason. Sit down Miss Beckett. "

She does as she's told and soon the two shift over he tells Castle to stand still and not try anything silly or she'll be dead. As he let go of him Castle has to prop himself against a side table. He's beginning to feel faint.

Beckett is now tied to the dining room chair and is turned on the chair to face Castle who is looking paler by the minute.

"I want you to see this death Kate; you missed out on your mother's end of all ends but now sweetie, now you get to see it all in Technicolor, just like one of his films." With that the man turns and punches Castle in his chest wound. Castle lets out a muffled cry but refuses to fall. However as Kate cries out the man turns and swipes her across the face.

"Stop, you want me, no man picks on a woman" the man draws a second blow to the stomach and then with the third Becket hears an awful squelching noise. Castle begins to lose his grip on life, realising he isn't going to see another chapter of his life all he can do is save Kate. With what energy he's got lunges forward and grabs the knife. Becket can see the blood from his wound dripping down his frame darkening his trousers and fall onto the floor.

"Untie her." Castle waves the knife at him. The man does as he's told and soon Becket has her gun to the man's head, she pushes him down to the chair and ties him up. Taking a second to breathe a sigh of relief she hears a thud. When she turns Castle is on the floor, eyes blinking constantly.

"Castle, please stay with me. Please stay, don't …"

"I see her"

"Who?"

"Joanne, I see her, she has your smile…."

"Oh Castle please hold on."

"Do you want me to tell her you love her?"

"No." tears are running down her face "Tell her I am in love with you and she has to look after you."

Soon his eyes have stopped flickering and his eyes stay shut.

….

Nobody knew what to do. Castle was being kept alive on a ventilator. Alexis was on a break from college to be at hers father's side. No one could bear to think about switching him off.

Kate couldn't face work. She couldn't face the world. She just sat next to him all the time. She ate there, slept there and changed there; she'd smirk to herself at the fact that he would wake up just to see her naked bent over to put on her trousers. The day she sees him looking at her getting into her pyjamas she can't stop smiling. His grin widens when Becket climbs into his bed to cuddle him promising him a lifetime together, always-he just needed to get better.

The end


End file.
